Cycling in Switzerland: Folding Bikes

First of all....those folding bikes are not great for touring. Might be fine in a city, but out on the open road, not so great. Cycling in Switzerland is a bit different than other European counties...not quite as bike friendly. You might have fun around a lake where it it flat, but taking it up a mountain road not too sure that would be fun!

Unless you plan to ride a bunch, I'd recommend looking into renting a bike in Switzerland for a day or two. It will be worth the $$ to save the hassle of transporting the bike.

We've done several bike tours, and bring our own bike, but it's the reason we are there...to ride for 7-10 days, then we pack the bike up and base someplace for a few days before heading home. think hard before you drag this equipment if you are not "avid cyclists" It could really drag you down!

I might ask the question on one of the bike boards specializing in folders:

http://www.dahon.com/forum/index.php

http://www.bikeforums.net/

http://store.bikefriday.com/mailman/listinfo/yak

I have read accounts where people travel from place to place by train and then would sightsee by folding bike, local short trips rather than tours. If you did not want to pay to store your bike in a specific area of the train for bikes, they had to be folded and covered.

Folding bikes have more limited gearing ranges due to the smaller wheels. It is harder to design one that will have low enough gearing to climb well and high enough gearing for top speed. Riding the Alps might be tough.

I have read an account of a tour by a group on Dahons along the River Danube. There are several river oriented touring routes (little climbing) in Germany but I am not familiar with Switzerland.

Regards Gary

SWitzerland is a terrific place for cycling. Many of the bike routes are on paths that are separated from the main road. You can go almost anywhere by bicycle without a problem.

The Swiss Cycling Foundation has information at the following link:

http://www.cycling-in-switzerland.ch/01_entrance/frameset_einstieg.html

For great maps of cycling routes in Switzerland, this link to Kummerly & Frey maps is good:

http://www.swisstravelcenter.ch/kf_velokarten.html

Rather than hauling folding bikes with you, you might consider renting bikes at the railway station. These are generally readily available, and are good bikes. Information is at this link:

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reiselust/freizeit/velovermietung.htm

If you do take your own bike, you can put them on trains and buses to traverse mountain passes more easily, make faster time to catch up with your schedule, or avoid bad traffic or weather.

I highly recommend cycling in Switzerland--it is great.

Kevin

Thank you for all of your feedback; we definitely have a lot to think about! I have been finding an abundance of valuable information on the websites you shared with me.

The trip I envisioned is the one Gary described above...taking the trains from place to place and using the bike to take local short trips. The bike I am thinking of bringing is my Dahon Speed Tr; it has 24 gears and is a bit under 30 pounds. http://www.dahon.com/us/speedtr.htm

Luckily, we are staying with friends who live in Switzerland, so we will not be lugging our baggage with us.

All that said, we will still consider whether renting or bringing our own bikes is best. The good news is that this can be a last minute decision--and no matter what, we will spend some of our time biking in Switzerland!